Initiation
by fortunesque
Summary: Shepard gets some crazy ideas. Set in the universe of 'Only By a Few Seconds'


A/N: This fits somewhere into the timeline of Only By a Few Seconds, but I'm not sure if it'll be canon for that universe. This oneshot is an entry for the Kaidan Alenko Appreciation Society's fanfic contest prompt #2: Kaidan's first visit to the Normandy SR2; written/viewed from the perspective of anyone BUT Kaidan or Shepard.

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She stared at the blank wall in front of her, glaring as the elevator moseyed up one floor. The latex skin of her suit groaned under the strain of her wringing her hands in agitation. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator doors opened, allowing Miranda Lawson to leave the small chamber.

It had been one hell of a morning. First, her white uniform had gone missing. This was upsetting because though the black one looked better, it was much too hot to be wearing during repairs. Shepard gallantly stepped in to lower the temperature in the ship to make her comfortable. This, however, was a curse in its own right. Her slightly padded bra had gone missing as well, leaving her with her flimsy lacy one. Combined with the temperature in the ship, Miranda just knew that her nipples would be showing every second of the damn day. Thankfully, the crew had scattered and she wouldn't have any fear of being seen, save Shepard. She'd been one of the few people to remain behind while crews worked through the night to repair the tattered Normandy.

Her heels clicked on the metal floors, each click reverberating throughout the empty CIC. Voices echoed throughout the hull. Miranda heard Shepard's voice, quiet and non-commanding as if he were talking to a friend. A slightly familiar male voice replied, his words an unintelligible murmur.

The man must have been leaning against the wall; he crossed his legs and a glimpse of Alliance dress blues flashed across Miranda's vision before disappearing. From the stripe she saw on the pant leg, the man was an officer. Frowning, Miranda increased her pace, the speed of her walk blowing her hair back with each step. She didn't like the idea of any Alliance personnel on the ship, much less an officer.

"Here's my second now," she heard Shepard announce.

The Commander stepped into view, his lopsided smile showing only part of his teeth. Miranda couldn't help but return the smile; there was something magnetically warm and friendly about the man.

"Commander," she nodded.

Miranda turned to face the other man and instantly recognized him. Shepard turned to introduce her to him.

"Miranda, this is-"

"Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko," she finished, extending her hand.

"Miss Lawson," Kaidan smiled.

She found herself immediately returning his smile with a shy one of her own. There was something very genuine looking about this man; whether it was from his warm smile or his kind eyes, eyes didn't know. Out of the corner of her eye she saw John Shepard grinning like a cat.

Oh, he'd pay for this.

"My intel has told me to watch out for you," she clipped, dropping her hand quickly.

"Mine too," Alenko replied, chuckling, "but I think we can get along just fine."

"Kaidan will be staying with us as a liaison between the Council and Alliance and us," Shepard said, "though we've severed our ties with Cerberus, the powers that be are understandably cautious."

His eyes wandered about the room, finally deciding to settle on her chest.

"Shepard," Kaidan interjected, shooting his friend a chastising look.

"Yes, averting eyes," Shepard replied.

Miranda sighed, running her hand through her hair. Even when she'd changed to regular fatigues, Shepard still managed to rest his eyes on her chest. So she'd settled on wearing what was comfortable.

"If that's all, Commander," she sighed, "I really need to get back to budgeting out the repairs."

"Yep, that's it," he replied, "Just wanted you to meet Kaidan."

"Nice meeting you, Miss Lawson," Kaidan smiled.

Miranda nodded in reply, her face heating up. As she looked into his eyes, she found herself afraid to use her own voice. She turned to make a quick escape and her boot snagged on one of the seams in the ship's flooring, sending her tumbling for a few steps. Hearing Shepard's mischievous chuckle, she didn't to turn around to see what he was doing; she already knew.

Damn Shepard and his silly notions of setups.


End file.
